Argumentative Writing

Miss Corbett

1. What do you think the author is arguing through this cartoon?

2. What point about technology do you think she is trying to make?

3. If you were to use this cartoon as evidence in an argumentative essay, how would you summarize it’s content? Write a 3 sentence summary.

1. What positive attributes does Pop Culture add to our society?

2. Can TV make you smarter?

3. Can social reform happen through social media?

4. Is our privacy taken away by the internet?

5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of such a connected world?

6. Does the media cause us to mix up our priorities—putting celebrities and fame in front of Presidential Elections and clean water?

7. Does TV brain wash us—causing us to think a certain way?

8. Do we trust the media too much? Does it shape our world-view unconsciously?

Key Questions: (write these in the upper right corner of your poster)

By the end of today you will…Have generated responses to key questions of

the unit

Have an opinion regarding each question

Practiced using “They Say, I Say” templates to write argumentative and counter claims

Practiced backing up your claims with evidence

Respond to possible bias written in your claims

Practice working well within a group and making sure that everyone is grasping the content

Sit With Your Partner!Pick another pair of partners to make a

table group with.

Derek, Joey, Luis

Kevin Le, Nick

Vanessa, Wendy, Khalid

Kevin T, Pedro

Min L, Fabiola

Brooke, Mariah

Jeremiah, Mason

Vivian, Kevin K.

Kayla, Andy

Sydney, Brigitte

Eren, Grixza

Jen, Minh N.

Maia, Zoe

By the end of today you will have practiced analyzing argumentative writing by reading, annotating, and

summarizing four pieces of argumentative writing. You will describe their argument, and evaluate their claim

and evidence. You will also look for bias within the articles. At the end of the day, you will be able to

synthesize the articles and what they are saying about the media. You will also be able to write your own

argumentative thesis/claim/statement using the They Say, I Say templates. Most importantly, you will better understand the structure of argumentative writing

and have practiced identifying our academic vocabulary within a piece of writing.

BellringerTake an article from last night’s reading and create a

counter argument. Use a They Say, I Say thesis template. Under your claim, provide three pieces of evidence that support your claim.

New Templates you could use: I think _____ is mistaken because he/she

overlooks_______ ________ claims that rests upon the questionable

assumption that_________ Although I agree with _____ up to a point, I cannot

accept his overall conclusion that ________

Academic Vocabulary for the Day: Generate: to produce

Respond: to say or write as an answer

Argument: a coherent series of statements that prove a point

Claim: to say that something is true

Template: something that is used as an example

Evidence: something that furnishes proof

Bias: and inclination of temperament or outlook

Compose: to create and write

Template: something that is used as an example

Logical: a proper or reasonable way to think about something

Counterargument: as a reaction against

Analyze: to study closely and carefully; to learn the nature and relationship of the parts

Review:

Tuesday: You were introduced to the unit questions and generated responses to them using They Say, I Say argumentative thesis templates. You also got to work in new groups. You also practiced finding logical evidence to support your thesis. You also practiced writing counter arguments and looked for bias within the articles.

Wednesday: You composed a thesis using the They Say, I Say templates with your group and listed logical evidence. You then began reading the argumentative articles, using the annotation protocol. You began to analyze the author’s argument and use of evidence. You responded to the article buy writing a one sentence summary at the end of each page.

Thursday: You individually generated a counter claim to the two articles you read for homework and supplied three points of evidence, again using the They Say, I Say templates. You then continued annotating and analyzing the articles. Honors student, you read specifically for bias.

Friday: At this point, you have read and annotated all of the articles. Today, you will become text experts on the article of your choice. Within your expert groups, you will create a text based opinion poster, looking closely at the author’s argumentation structure, evidence coherence, transition sentences, and flow.

Monday April 13: You will turn in your book report. You will have your argumentative outline complete. You will have all of your annotations and guiding questions complete. Honors students, you will have the article you found relating to your topic. You will be doing a timed write.

In your expert groups: Make sure that everyone understands the argument of the article.

As you re-read the article….

1. Highlight the author’s claim/argument. Re-write the thesis in your own words on the poster.

2. In a different color, highlight the evidence the author offers. On your poster, discuss whether the evidence is logical and valid. What makes the evidence good? What makes it bad?

3. Underline the author’s reasoning and development of the evidence. On your poster, describe how the author help you understand their evidence and how it supports their thesis? How does the author develop their reasoning?

4. Circle the transition words the author uses to create cohesion. Make a list of them on your poster.

5. Put a box around the part of the article that addresses the counter argument. On your poster, describe how does the author refutes it? Summarize how the author proves their argument is stronger/more valid than the counter argument.

6. Be prepared to discuss with the class. Each group member needs share out.

Homework Due After Spring Break:

Book Report.

2nd Period:1. Finish annotating all of the articles.

Circle words you don’t know and define them. Re-read to understand context.

Sentence summary at the end of every page.

2. Finish answering questions 1-5 for every article.

3. Create outline for argumentative prompt—timed write on Mon. April 13. Use a They Say, I Say template for your thesis.

Make sure to fill in every portion of the outline!

Prompts: What positive attributes does Pop Culture add to our society?

Can TV make you smarter?

Can social reform happen through social media?

Is our privacy taken away by the internet?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of such a connected world?

Does the media cause us to mix up our priorities—putting celebrities and fame in front of Presidential Elections and clean water?

Does TV brain wash us—causing us to think a certain way?

Do we trust the media too much? Does it shape our world-view unconsciously?

Non-Honors: Respond to one of the articles we read in class.

Honors: Respond to one of the articles we read in class and find one on your own that addresses the topic. Make sure the article comes from a

credible source.